Room Key Offers New Hotel Insight

May 15, 2013

Dallas, TX (May 15, 2013) – Vacationing Americans 25 and older expect to spend $84 billion on hotels this summer, with the average traveler booking slightly more than seven nights over the season, according to a new hospitality survey released by Room Key, the only hotel meta search engine built by hoteliers.

For this research, 1,001 interviews were fielded among nationally representative American travelers ages 25 years and older who had traveled two (2) or more nights in the past six months and are planning to travel this summer to get responses based on their leisure travel experiences and travel preferences.

Not surprisingly, nearly three-quarters (72%) said the price will drive their hotel decision, but location (66%) and hotel amenities (58%) will also play a big role. The hotel brand (43%) and the ability to earn and use loyalty points and rewards (31%) are two more important factors that will influence hotel choice, according to the survey.

Among those Americans planning to stay in a hotel for leisure between May and August, their expected average spend on hotels is $1,134, which translates to an estimated national spend of $84 billion on hotel rooms for the busy summer travel season.

But there are certain types of hotel rooms that no amount of amenities would enhance: 45% of respondents said they would pass on a room by the elevator; 43% give the cold shoulder to rooms near the ice machine; 28% avoid spots near the restaurant or bar; and, 26% rate the first floor low in location preferences.

But when it comes to traveling during the summer’s national holidays, the majority are set to skip the sights and stick to home: more than half (55%) said they’ll stay put during summer holiday weekends; 32% plan to travel for the Fourth of July, 22% for Memorial Day and 22% for Labor Day weekend.

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Hi! I'm Michael. I’m a communications, public relations, sales and marketing expert living in Washington, DC. I share "stories of success" for various industries including luxury retail, skincare, healthcare, education and entertainment. I've presented on digital story telling for the hospitality industry and American Indian Affairs.